The Democrats, riding a wave of liberal anger and angst in the era of Donald Trump, hoped to begin picking off the GOP majority in Congress early.
Their first fail was in last week’s Kansas special election, where Republican Ron Estes beat the Democrat James Thompson by 7 points.
Next up: Georgia, where Democrats hoped Jon Ossoff would make it over the 50 percent mark to avoid a runoff. Instead, he fell two points short running against more than a dozen Republicans.
“The myth of Jon Ossoff died tonight. Despite a heavy advertising advantage and a national stream of unlimited resources, Jon Ossoff’s Hollywood-focused campaign finished no better than Hillary Clinton’s,” Congressional Leadership Fund Executive Director Corry Bliss said in a statement.
(In the closing days of the campaign, actor Samuel L. Jackson cut a radio ad on Ossoff’s behalf).
So on June 20, Jon Ossoff faces off against Karen Handel. Polls suggest the race is virtually a tossup.
The closeness of the race is a warning. If the Republican majority in Congress can’t deliver on their campaign promises, voters may give the Democrats another chance.
Photo credit: Gage Skidmore
